


I Think I May be Falling for You.

by Jeanvalvernairdienjoleponius



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmark AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4532217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeanvalvernairdienjoleponius/pseuds/Jeanvalvernairdienjoleponius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since they had met during the immensely awkward preteen years, Combeferre had an immensely awkward preteen crush on him, and it was starting to get just a bit annoying.</p><p>~Soulmate AU in which whenever you first touch someone who you'll have a strong emotional bond with, both come back with colorful marks~</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Think I May be Falling for You.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [True Colors](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2121813) by [lady_ragnell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_ragnell/pseuds/lady_ragnell). 



Combeferre looked down at his bright orange marks for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Taking a deep sigh, he tried to convince himself to stop thinking about Courfeyrac. Ever since they had met during the immensely awkward preteen years, Combeferre had an immensely awkward preteen crush on him, and it was starting to get just a bit annoying. They’d been friends for more than ten years now, and though the crush had waxed and waned as time went on and he’d forget about it every once in a while, sometimes Courfeyrac could just do something and Combeferre could feel it coming back. It was far too persistent and left Combeferre feeling alone even when they were in the same room. Courfeyrac would just do something dumb and Combeferre would find some new reason to love him.

For example, this week when they were out on a walk together and Courfeyrac literally tripped over himself so that he could pet an overenthusiastic dog.

Or just a few days before that when Courfeyrac had, entirely out of the blue, started quoting Back to the Future in such a subtle way that it fit into the conversation, and nobody noticed except Combeferre.

But, oh, did he notice.

If it had been anyone other than him, Combeferre might have suspected that he’d been doing it on purpose, but, unfortunately, it was Courfeyrac. Courfeyrac was the kind of person who would make your day without even knowing it, being the bright, outgoing, fun to be around kind of person that he is. He always tried his best to make everyone happy and keep them that way as long as he was physically able, but he happened to do it in a way that you wouldn’t even notice he was trying until long after. So, if he were to make a reference, then it would probably be for the sake of making you happier, not trying to flirt. 

Courfeyrac was an amazing human being, who just so happened to be like that over excited puppy from a few days ago. He was so friendly, and absolutely exuded happiness to everyone around him. He was adorable and likeable and it was so unfair to be head over heels with him.

Well, technically, he was head under head with Courfeyrac. When they met, all those years ago, it had been a complete accident. Enjolras had been holding a birthday party and had invited a lot of people over, those people being anyone who could handle just how strongly opinionated he was about most anything, and those who wouldn’t throw him under the bus if he were to get into trouble. That being said, there were a surprising amount of people there. After a while they had almost unanimously decided to play tag for reasons that Combeferre could no longer remember. He hadn’t been all that into the game, and so he hadn’t at all been expecting someone to come hurtling at the top speed his legs would carry him.

Of course, that twelve year old had been Courfeyrac. Courfeyrac had been looking over his shoulder and trying to run away from an older kid, Feuilly. The running had been surprisingly fruitful until the impact, which had left both children sprawling on the ground and very confused. Combeferre’s eyes had widened with a huge, dumbfounded smile when the boy looking back at him had a dark blue stain on the half of his face where he’d come in contact with Combeferre. It was easily the darkest stain that Combeferre had ever seen, even darker than the mark he’d left on Enjolras. It was the most amazing mark that he’d ever encountered.. 

So amazing, in fact, that they forgot entirely about the game of tag and Combeferre almost forgot about the impact. Sure, his heart was pulsing and his back hurt a little bit, but there was a kid who was destined to have a really strong relationship with him. That was really awesome. It took a second for the kid to get off of him, and when he did, both of them laughed so much that Feuilly stopped looking worried and instead looked absolutely amazed. He gestured silently at them, mouth gaping and staring blankly at Enjolras. They were totally upstaging Enjolras at his own birthday party. Rather unfair to him.

Combeferre and Courfeyrac were then formally introduced to each other by Enjolras. They ended up talking for hours and forgetting about tag and cake and ice cream, which ensured that they both stayed after the party to help Enjolras clean up and apologize for not really participating. He didn’t really seem all that offended. In the weeks following, they all started to talk to each other more and eventually became an absolutely inseparable group, well known throughout their schools and made fun of whenever possible, but they didn’t care. They had each other, and that was all that had mattered for a very long time.

The collision had left both Courfeyrac and Combeferre with a rather unique set of marks, with it covering half of each of their faces, and in varying places on both of their arms, legs, and chests. That meant that any time Combeferre were to look in the mirror, look down at his arms, wear shorts, take a shower, or do anything short of wearing a full suit warm enough for skiing, he would be reminded of Courfeyrac. And that would have been okay with him, except that Courfeyrac was so painfully oblivious about his enormous crush that it had brought him to tears on multiple occasions.

The sound of an alarm ringing jolted Combeferre out of his thoughts. He looked down at his wristwatch and realized that he’d spent half of his lunch reminiscing about Courfeyrac and was supposed to go and meet with Joly. It seemed that he wouldn’t be having any food until the meeting tonight, which would be bad unless he was too nervous to eat anything in the first place. This meeting would be the first one in a month and a half, as Combeferre had regulated Enjolras’s schedule by getting rid of some of his stressors, some of them being the meetings. The lack of meetings had been slowly driving Combeferre insane as he stayed away from Courfeyrac, however, and tonight was the night in which he was hoping to explain just why it was hurting so much. 

Unfortunately, it still hurt like nothing he could ever fix easily. Mustering up his strength, Combeferre stood up and meandered his way to the hallway where Joly always met him. He was greeted with the usual smile and familiar awkward gait of his joyful friend. Combeferre muttered an unenthusiastic greeting and sat down on a chair set for waiting family members, heaving a deep sigh and leaning against the wall. Joly sat down next to him stiffly, setting his cane down on the chair beside him and seeming a bit confused.

“Nervous?” The amputee asked him softly, eyes full of concern and the tender affection of a best friend. Combeferre chuckled uneasily at that, nodding his head. Joly was the only other person who knew of his plan for tonight, and he knew just how hard it could be to do something like that. Combeferre reached out and touched the underside of Joly’s arm, which was where his soulmark had been left on Joly. It was a mark made when Joly recognized Combeferre at one of the Les Amis meeting. They had been working together for a bit, and Joly seeing Combeferre outside of work had sprung up such joy that it required a tackle hug. It made Combeferre immensely happy to think about it. Combeferre looked over at him, smiling just a little bit. 

“Maybe I should just forget where I’m going and accidentally tackle him to the ground.” Combeferre explained with a dumb smile, causing Joly to laugh and nudge him with his shoulder. Combeferre was watching as the light of an idea flooded through Joly’s eyes, gracing all of his features and making him look clearly childlike in excitement. It was a look that perfectly suited him, one that he used with all of the children that he taught to walk again. With that same look, he started pushing himself to his feet. 

As Joly struggled up, Combeferre gave him a concerned look, which just made Joly smile and work at it faster, reaching for his cane without really seeming to think about it. Combeferre opened his mouth to ask just what Joly was about to do, but Joly pressed his fingers on Combeferre’s lips, effectively silencing him. “Shhh… it’ll all be okay.” Joly promised, beginning to walk away in the general direction of the end of the hallway. Who knows where he was going. “Just you stay there! You’ll see what I’m doing.” He called over from the end of the hallway. Combeferre rolled his eyes and sat back down once more, entertaining himself by flipping through pictures of his friends. 

He quite clearly did that for longer than he’d expected to, for when he looked back up Joly was walking back towards him with two containers of chocolate pudding and two plastic spoons. No amount of words Combeferre could think of could thank Joly enough for what he'd done. Chocolate pudding was one of his all-time favorite comfort foods and the absolute perfect thing to calm him down for the moment. The grown man wordlessly made grabby hands at the pudding cup until Joly relinquished control of it. Combeferre took a single spoonful of it into his mouth and decided that he was in heaven. 

"Thank you so much," he murmured gratefully around the spoon after another bite. "You're the best." He smiled, noticing how Joly flushed with pride. Combeferre was so glad they were friends, Joly was easily the happiest person he'd ever met and a great influence. He was absolutely great to talk to and left Combeferre feeling happy and confident long after Joly had left and they were both back to working. 

The easy glow around Combeferre only left when he returned home and realized that he would have to go out and see Courfeyrac today. 

More importantly, he would have to wear something nice enough to see Courfeyrac in, which could turn out to be an absolutely terrible experience for Combeferre. His closet was usually a mess and Combeferre had about as much fashion sense as a wild animal crashing through a clothing store.

That thought in mind, he pushed through the door to his shared flat and called out, “Enjolras? Are you here?”, before setting his keys down on the countertop. He heard a muffled response from somewhere in a different room and rolled his eyes. Enjolras sounded like he’d just woken up from a nap. He really was turning into some sort of nocturnal creature with this lack of meetings, so perhaps it had gone on too long for all of them. It hadn’t exactly worked out the way he’d expected, and hopefully they would never try something like this again.

Taking a deep breath, Combeferre walked into his room to find Enjolras slumped over on the bed, covering his eyes and complaining about having to get up. Combeferre just pushed him off of the bed, silently watched him slump down to the floor, and continued to his closet. 

His closet was an absolute mess when it came to wearing something nice. It was full of T-shirts from various old movies that he loved, or plain colored shirts, or incredibly fancy suits. His pants ranged from blue jeans to slacks. There was nothing that he could count as casual but nice, and that was a major problem. Still, Combeferre started looking through all of his clothes for something he would look good in. The more he looked, the less confident he felt. 

“Shut up.” Commanded a voice from behind him. Enjolras was standing near the closet door, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. He’d clearly been roused by the scraping sound of the hangers, as he kept shaking his head and wincing whenever Combeferre looked at a new shirt. “Those hangers are so loud, just make them stop..” He complained, voice slurred with sleep. Combeferre rolled his eyes and began to carefully slide them across the rack, wondering how everyone else was going to be dressed at the meeting. Combeferre’s shoulders slumped with defeat. 

“How should I dress?” Combeferre asked, adjusting his glasses on his nose and looking over at Enjolras. It wasn’t like Enjolras had the best fashion sense, but it would be better than just Combeferre trying to figure out what to wear on his own.

“Dress like you normally do. Find whatever you want to in our closet and put it on. Trust me, you’ll look brilliant.” Enjolras stated, rolling his eyes and pulling out a nice purple shirt that he hadn’t worn in a while. The blonde thrust it into his arms, smiling at him. “You’ll look stunning in this.” Enjolras explained as he walked off and attempted to find something for himself to wear. Combeferre examined it and shrugged, taking off his shirt and admiring the soul marks on his skin before putting on the purple shirt and buttoning it up. Turning around, he looked at himself in the mirror and confirmed that he did, indeed, look stunning. Hopefully even good enough for Courfeyrac.

Their drive to the meeting was rather silent, with Enjolras strumming his fingers on his seat and Combeferre trying to make himself calm down. He could feel his heart racing and knew that it probably wasn't the best thing for either of them that Combeferre was this worried while he was driving, so he tried to tone it down a bit as he followed the familiar roads to the Musain. 

After a little bit, Enjolras seemed to notice that they were driving a bit slower than usual and that Combeferre seemed quite tense. He looked around the car, then pursed his lips and asked Combeferre, "Something wrong?" His answer didn't come immediately, which Enjolras had learned was usually a result of Combeferre over analyzing what he was going to say. That was absolutely true in this situation.

"I, uh, I just.. Haven't seen them in a while." Combeferre answered lamely, flicking on his turn signal and reminding himself to breathe. He didn't look, but he could feel Enjolras's unconvinced stare boring into the depths of his soul. He was going to need an honest answer,but Combeferre didn’t want to tell anyone else about what was worrying him. Despite all that, eventually Enjolras won the silent fight.

"I actually just.. Oh, I don't know. I really, really like Courfeyrac and I want to tell him, but I don't want him to be in a relationship with someone else by the time we get there and I don't want to mess it up, and I don't really know how to do relationships well and I'm just a mess. It’s been so long since the last time that I saw him that everything could have changed and I could just be acting ridiculous right now." He complained, pulling into a parking spot but not bothering to get out. Enjolras did the same, pulling the keys out of the ignition and looking over at Combeferre.

"Combeferre, is that really all this is about? Look, I may not be too good at my own relationships, but I can see that pretty much every person you ever meet has wanted you to be their boyfriend at some point. I mean, look at you! Combeferre, you're always helping people, you're incredibly smart and really attractive, and mainly just a wonderful guy all around. You're the complete package. I say, go get him." Enjolras nudged Combeferre, watching as the other silently took a few breaths, blushing almost as bright as the red markings on his face.

"I.. Thank you, Enjolras." Combeferre murmured, pulling in his best friend for a hug with a small grin. "You really are the greatest, even if you're totally in love with a person and a concept and for the love of everything holy can't choose which one you prefer." Now it was Enjolras's turn to look undignified. He pouted and looked away while Combeferre got out of the car, then dropped the act and joined him in walking into the Musain. 

When Combeferre and Enjolras arrived, a loud cheer went up from those who had already come. Bahorel laughed loudly, standing up and clasping Enjolras on the shoulder. "The president of the liberty fan club has returned!" He announced, cheering along with the uproarious laughter of their friends. Enjolras looked downcast but Combeferre knew he was faking it, he knew that Enjolras was overjoyed to see his friends. It was pretty obvious that everyone had missed this, had missed each other and the camaraderie that they shared. 

When Combeferre sat down in his usual spot, he noticed that a lot of people had shown up that day, but not Courfeyrac. He frowned and slumped into his chair, which caught the attention of Enjolras. Combeferre sat back up straight, but the damage had already been done. He saw Enjolras sit down and pick up his phone, sending a text to some unknown person that could very well be Courfeyrac. Adjusting his glasses, Combeferre surveyed the group around him.

Feuilly and Marius were having a pleasant chat in the corner, Feuilly proudly displaying a new one of his homemade fans. Marius was a wonderful listener. Jehan and Grantaire were deep in a conversation, and because Combeferre was sitting away from them, the only word he caught was 'duck.' Maybe he could stay away from that, they were having a good enough time. Bahorel and Bossuet were comparing scars, with Joly looking on in somewhat disapproving amusement. Enjolras was texting someone. Cosette was watching all of them with a contented smile on her face. Éponine had sent out a message that she would be late and she was bringing Gavroche and Montparnasse with her, and Courfeyrac wasn't there.

Combeferre felt panic welling up in him. If Courfeyrac wasn’t here, then was all of the worrying and dressing nicely and mentally preparing himself for nothing? His breaths came shorter and faster until he closed his eyes and forced himself to regulate his breathing pattern. He would be needing some outside advice on this if he were to be able to do it successfully.

Feeling just a bit lonely, Combeferre got up from his spot and moved to a seat next to Cosette. She looked a little surprised, though not at all displeased. "Hello?" She said in a quizzical voice, and he looked down at his lap. How was he going to go about this? He barely even knew Cosette. Sure, she was very kind and hadn’t ever said anything bad about any of his friends, but Combeferre hadn't even seen if they would mark yet. This could be a gamble. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the door and returned Cosette’s hello, though his reply was soft, distracted.

"So, Cosette. Are you any good with relationships?" Combeferre asked, a bit more confident when he looked back up at her face and saw it gleaming with happiness. Was she happy to see him, happy that he was talking to her, or just happy in general? Hm. 

"Well, I'm not quite sure about that, but I manage to deal with Marius, so I guess I'm doing something right." She joked easily, looking Combeferre right in the eyes and shrugging. "Why do you ask?"

Combeferre, still nervous, glanced at the door once more. "I was wondering because, I've, uh, I’ve had a crush on someone for a really long time and don't really know how to tell them, so.." He trailed off, wishing he hadn't done any of this. It was mortifying. Why would she even want to help him, and how could she possibly help?

"You know, the same thing happened with me and Marius. He was nice and he’d just look at me but never talk to me. He didn't even give me a phone number for several months, we just kept relying on blind luck that we'd meet again. So, Combeferre. You're a really, really nice guy. Someone who people tend to think wouldn't really think romantically about them in any way. Are you following me?"

Combeferre shook his head no, this wasn't making any sense to him. It sounded as if she were just trying to insult him or tell him that he was just a stereotypical nerd type, and he was getting frustrated.

Cosette put her hand up to her mouth, seemingly lost in thought. "Okay, so. Combeferre. Here's the deal. You need to just tell that person out loud. Just say, I've liked you romantically for a really long time, if you feel the same, tell me." She explained, chuckling after she was finished. "Maybe don't use my exact words, though. It needs to sound more heartfelt, and more you. Anyways, best of luck from me."

Combeferre smiled at her, exceedingly glad for the advice. To his surprise, she picked up his hand and kissed the back of it. When she pulled away, her lips were still smiling, but now stained a radiant blue color. She looked absolutely stunning. He smiled even wider at her and looked at his hand, which now had a warm pink kiss mark and a few fingerprints. He watched as she turned around to look over at Marius, and saw his flabbergasted expression at her new, permanently blue lips. He blushed and started stuttering. Typical Marius.

In the commotion, though, Combeferre had failed to look over at the door to see if anyone had come inside. He looked back over at Enjolras, who was discreetly trying to get his attention and frowned. Courfeyrac had arrived. 

Swallowing hard, Combeferre straightened out his collar and shirt, making sure all of the buttons were in place and trying to sweep the hair out of his face. Hopefully Courfeyrac hadn’t noticed him fixing his clothes, and even more hopefully Courfeyrac thought he looked halfway decent. Heart pounding, he walked over to Courfeyrac who was conversing quietly with Enjolras. Combeferre cleared his throat and Courfeyrac turned around, eyes lighting up when he saw who it was.

"Ferre!" He cried, throwing his arms around Combeferre like the overexcited puppy he was. Combeferre laughed and hugged him back, hoping that Courfeyrac couldn't feel his heart thumping in his chest. When they pulled away from the hug, Courfeyrac was still grinning like an idiot. "Anything interesting happen while we were parted?" He asked, looking around the group of his friends.

Combeferre held up his hand, displaying Cosette's mark. Courfeyrac's jaw dropped and he shook Combeferre's hand. “Congratulations! I think you’ve finally gotten all of the marks of the Justice League, I didn’t even know that was possible.” Courfeyrac chuckled, the laugh trailing off after a few seconds.

"You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to forever have blue lips." Courfeyrac murmured wistfully. Combeferre tensed at the thought. It made him think about what it would have been like if he had kissed Courfeyrac first, before ever touching him. It would leave him with orange lips and Courfeyrac with blue, but that was entirely impossible now.

"You know, if you hadn't marked Gavroche yet, I'd suggest you kiss his forehead." Combeferre suggested, though he was fairly sure the vibrant blue of Gavroche had already stained Courfeyrac somewhere. "Or you could get pneumonia, though I wouldn't recommend it. Or.. if you hadn't marked me in any of the time we were friends, for all those years, you could have had blue lips." He stated, looking down at Courfeyrac's lips for a moment before forcing himself to look away.

Bringing up his courage, he started, "You know," just as Courfeyrac said, "Well, that," and they both stopped, giving pause for each other. It was utterly embarrassing and neither knew who should speak. Combeferre nodded at Courfeyrac, letting him have the right to speak first. Combeferre needed to get his courage back before he trusted himself to say something.

"As I was saying, I think that the pneumonia thing would be pretty bad, and I don't think Gavroche's color would really do me any good. I'd need to have a nice orange, maybe like Jehan's. too bad about that.." He trailed off, looking at where the Romantic had marked him. “Really, maybe I should have waited to mark everyone else, it would have been cool to have it all coordinated like that.” Courfeyrac stated, looking up at Combeferre.

Combeferre sighed, looking down at his feet. "You know, Courfeyrac, I.. I need to say something entirely unrelated to what you just said. Okay?” He asked quietly, not sure which he would prefer: Courfeyrac saying yes or him saying no. Either way, they were going to have to address that point someday. Might as well be today, right? 

As if reading his mind, Courfeyrac nodded, giving Combeferre permission to continue. “Well, you're really nice and we've been friends for a really long time, but.." Combeferre caught his breath, blushing. Courfeyrac looked miserably confused. He had to keep talking. "You just.. I like you. I have liked you, for so long, and it's been so frustrating, and I just.. I don't know. I don't just like you as a friend anymore. I mean, I do, but I like you romantically now and it’s kind of frustrating being around you all the time. If that’s a problem then I could leave you alone, but, I mean, I just had to tell you. We haven't talked in a long time and it got me thinking, so, yeah. Sorry if I'm being weird." He finished, now finally daring to look Courfeyrac in the eyes. 

To his surprise, Courfeyrac was about to cry. His eyes were dazzling and his jaw was slightly open, looking at Combeferre in what could only be described as awe. He didn't say anything, so Combeferre had no idea if this was good or bad. “Really?” Courfeyrac asked, voice quiet and somewhat shaky, as if he didn’t really know what to say about that. Combeferre was mortified, too much so to say anything, so he simply nodded his head.

He felt Courfeyrac reach around to the back of Combeferre's head, which was immensely confusing until Courfeyrac pulled him in for a kiss. Combeferre’s mind short circuited and he smiled brightly, not really sure what to do with his hands and feeling somewhat awkward. After a few seconds, it was over. Combeferre felt the head rush of his first kiss and felt incredibly light on his feet when he pulled Courfeyrac in for a second one. 

They broke off, laughing, when they heard Bahorel cheering. How long had everyone been watching them? Hopefully not too long, that would be absolutely humiliating. Cosette started clapping, which normally would have been annoying, but Combeferre only felt happy. She’d helped them through this. Enjolras looked like he was about to cry now, though his tears seemed to be out of relief. Everyone else joined in on Bahorel’s cheer until Combeferre blushed and sat down, holding Courfeyrac's hand and deciding he would be content with that until the meeting ended.  
Who’s to say what would come after the meeting was over. All Combeferre knew was that he’d no longer have to feel lonely when he saw the bright orange hand marks on his chest, and that was an amazing feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> This was kind of based off the fic True Colors by lady_ragnell and an ask by an anonymous user on Tumblr. Happy Courferre week! I may have some other fanfictions written by the end of the week, so keep checking in.


End file.
